MUMBAI: The city police have busted a baby-selling racket and have rescued two newborn babies who were sold for Rs 5 lakh each in illegal adoption process. Five women have been arrested in the case which includes kingpin of the racket Julia Lawrence Fernandes, a bogus doctor and three touts from Rafiq Nagar in Govandi.
What has baffled the police is the fact that Julia, who has at least seven offences of child trafficking against her, was released from jail only recently in April this year in a similar case registered in Wadala, and was back into the business.
Apart from the bogus doctor, Sairabanu Nabiullah Shaikh, and three touts – Bari B, Usman Shaikh and Reena Nitin Chavan – police have also arrested one Gulab Shah Mateen, who willingly sold her five day old baby to the gang. Police have also identified the mother of the other 45-day-old baby who has been served with arrest notice. Police have booked the accused under IPC section of child trafficking and Juvenile Justice Act.
Acting on specific intelligence, sub inspector Sharad Nanekar, led by senior inspector Ravindra Ranshere of Trombay police station, laid a trap and arrested two agents who had come to hand over the five-day-old baby to a dummy customer set up by the police.
“The two touts failed to explain how the newborn babies came to be in their possession. They later spilled the beans on the entire racket,” said Hemraj Rajput, deputy commissioner of police (zone 6).
“The modus operandi was to look for poor people, particularly single mother, labourers or divorcees, lure them with assurance of medical aid and convince them to give away their child to a good family in exchange for a hefty sum of money,” said Ranshere. Given the nature of the offence, DCP Rajput has proposed to apply the stringent MCOCA in the case.
What has baffled the police is the fact that Julia, who has at least seven offences of child trafficking against her, was released from jail only recently in April this year in a similar case registered in Wadala, and was back into the business.
Apart from the bogus doctor, Sairabanu Nabiullah Shaikh, and three touts – Bari B, Usman Shaikh and Reena Nitin Chavan – police have also arrested one Gulab Shah Mateen, who willingly sold her five day old baby to the gang. Police have also identified the mother of the other 45-day-old baby who has been served with arrest notice. Police have booked the accused under IPC section of child trafficking and Juvenile Justice Act.
Acting on specific intelligence, sub inspector Sharad Nanekar, led by senior inspector Ravindra Ranshere of Trombay police station, laid a trap and arrested two agents who had come to hand over the five-day-old baby to a dummy customer set up by the police.
“The two touts failed to explain how the newborn babies came to be in their possession. They later spilled the beans on the entire racket,” said Hemraj Rajput, deputy commissioner of police (zone 6).
“The modus operandi was to look for poor people, particularly single mother, labourers or divorcees, lure them with assurance of medical aid and convince them to give away their child to a good family in exchange for a hefty sum of money,” said Ranshere. Given the nature of the offence, DCP Rajput has proposed to apply the stringent MCOCA in the case.
